The Department of Veterans Affairs has established a new task force focusing on the Biden administration’s treatment of Christians.
VA Secretary Doug Collins made the announcement in an email sent to VA staff on Tuesday.
“The VA Task Force now requests all VA employees to submit any instance of anti-Christian discrimination to Anti-ChristianBiasReporting.@va.gov,” the email reads.
Submissions should include sufficient identifiers such as names, dates, and locations, according to the email.
Collins is a Air Force Reserve chaplain who earned his master’s degree in divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 6 that centered on eradicating anti-Christian bias.
The email reads that while VA will review “all instances of anti-Christian bias,” it specifically wants to hear from staff who believe they were denied promotions for “religious reasons” or faced retaliation for seeking a religious exemption to a federal mandate requiring federal employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The mandate was challenged in court and VA fired several employees who refused to comply. Former President Joe Biden ultimately rescinded the mandate in an executive order issued in May of 2023.
The task force also wants to hear from staff about any mistreatment or reprimand issued in response to displays of Christian imagery or symbols; any observations of mistreatment for not participating in events or activities inconsistent with Christian views; and any retaliatory actions taken or threatened in response to abstaining from certain procedures or treatments (for example: abortions or hormone therapy).
Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe V. Wade in June of 2022 which declared the right to an abortion was not protected under the Constitution, the VA published an interim rule saying it abortions would be provided for veterans in life-threatening situations or those who became pregnant by rape or incest. The rule also covered VA health care workers from legal action in states where abortion is illegal.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.